Covaxin Phase 3 trial: Haryana Minister Anil Vij offers himself as 1st volunteer

Coronavirus Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin Phase 3 trial in India: Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij has offered himself as the “first volunteer” for the Phase 3 human trials of India’s first indigenous Coronavirus Vaccine candidate Covaxin. Vij has revealed this on his official Twitter handle. The late-stage large scale clinical trials of Covaxin is scheduled to commence in Haryana on November 20.

Taking to Twitter, the minister has tweeted that the trial for this third phase of the Covaxin is set to start in Haryana from November 20. He also tweeted that he has offered to become the first volunteer to be vaccinated for the same.

Covaxin is being developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology, Pune.

Earlier in July, phase 1 human trial of Covaxin was conducted in Haryana’s Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences or PGI, Rohtak.

Phase 3 human trials of Covaxin is India’s largest as well as the first phase 3 efficacy study for any Coronavirus vaccine. Participants will be administered two intramuscular injections around 28 days apart during phase 3 human trials of Covaxin. After successfully completing the interim analysis from the Phase 1 and 2 human trials of Covaxin, Bharat Biotech had got approval Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approval for Phase 3 clinical trials with 26,000 participants in over 25 test sites across India.

Around 1000 volunteers enrolled and monitored for safety and immunogenicity data during phase 1 and Phase 1 human trials. Volunteers are required to be aged over 18 to take part in human trials of Covaxin.